


marriage is what brings us together today

by Skyson



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV)
Genre: F/M, First Time, Future Fic, Giles POV, Hook-Up, Multiple Pov, Plot What Plot/Porn Without Plot, Porn with Feelings, Resolved Pining, Wedding vibes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-30
Updated: 2019-12-30
Packaged: 2021-02-27 09:56:20
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,767
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22025191
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skyson/pseuds/Skyson
Summary: "Why don't you stop fluttering about and just have at it, would you?"
Relationships: Rupert Giles/Buffy Summers, Xander Harris/Dawn Summers
Comments: 8
Kudos: 66





	marriage is what brings us together today

Having arrived just in time for the ceremony, Giles didn't have much of a chance to catch up with anyone until the reception. As such, he stood off to the side as a few people approached him that were curious about how things were going at the main headquarters. He didn't really want to talk shop on a day like today, so he tried to keep the conversations short and to the point.

He was relieved when a familiar face stepped in, although she also immediately made him nervous. He wished he'd grabbed a drink beforehand.

Buffy sent him a devious grin, and his breath caught for a moment at the resulting sharp tingle that traveled down his spine.

"Hey guys," Buffy spoke up gently, ignoring how the other three immediately straightened their backs and shifted their feet in the presence of The Slayer. "Mind if I steal our Head Watcher for a few?"

"Sure, of course Miss Summers," "Yes ma'am," "Oh, he's all yours,"

And like cowards, they all scattered away, leaving Giles alone with her. He wasn't sure whether he was just saved, or thrown from the frying pan into the fire.

"I recognized that look on your face," Buffy explained, still grinning at him with that coy look.

"Because you've been the cause of it so many times before?" Giles snarked, pressing his fingers against his thighs, where his hands were hidden inside of his pockets. He wished he had a drink, or his glasses; something to fiddle with.

"Of course," Buffy laughed lightly, surprising him. She winked, and he felt his blood grow hot, unable to control the flush that colored his cheeks. "You're welcome, by the way. Collins would have talked your ear off for an hour at least." And then she was turning away in a flow of fabric, and his eyes were following the line of her back until she disappeared around the corner.

Giles blinked, wondering what exactly had just happened, feeling simultaneously relieved and unsettled.

"Well, our Slayer cleans up rather nicely, doesn't she?" Wesley's murmur at his shoulder made him jump, embarrassingly.

Giles slowly turned his head to glare at the other Watcher, and realized the man was teasing him, a knowing smirk on his face.

"Why don't you stop fluttering about and just have at it, would you?"

"Working with Angel has changed you, Wesley." Giles glowered, stalking away from him, and Wesley chuckled quietly. Giles' blush had deepened at Wesley's comments, and Wesley had noticed it.

Giles tugged at the knot of his bowtie for a moment, suddenly looking forward to the end of the wedding and getting out of this tuxedo. <Alone. Of course. Not with Buffy. The only hands unbuttoning this waistcoat will be my own.>

He sighed quietly, the sound tinged a bit with disappointment, and went to find the bar.

**———**

Giles watched fondly as Buffy and Xander danced together, swaying around the floor with ease. For some reason Buffy was the one leading, but they were chatting and laughing together, so Giles suspected it was some kind of joke between them. He couldn't help but smile as he observed the two, peacefully happy in a way neither of them had been in some time.

"Giles?" He immediately turned toward the radiant young woman that had approached him.

"Dawn. You look lovely." He smiled warmly, and her answering smile was embarrassed but proud.

"I would... I'd like to have a dance with you, if that's alright." She told him, and he faced her fully, surprised. "I didn't want to take the actual dad-daughter dance from Dad, but, you've been like a Dad to me, too." She held her hand up between them, and Giles immediately set his cup of champagne down and took her hand in his.

"I would be honored, dear." Emotion swelled in his chest, but he managed to tamp it down into a simple smile as he led her to the dance floor just as the next song began. He was grateful that it was another easy-tempo'd one, and they smoothly began a simple waltz.

"You should wear something more than tweed more often, Giles. You look pretty good yourself." Dawn observed, sliding her free palm from his shoulder to the front of his tuxedo jacket.

"Thank you, Dawn," Giles laughed softly.

"I heard Buffy say you were yummy, but I didn't believe it 'til I saw it."

His steps faltered slightly, but he quickly recovered though he had to swallow deeply before speaking,

"Buffy said w-what?"

"Yummy." Dawn met his bewildered gaze calmly, her facial expression innocent but the glint in her eyes coy. "Buffy said 'Giles looks awfully yummy, doesn't he?' She didn't think I'd heard her, but I totally did. And she’s so right."

Giles opened his mouth to say something, but he was too bewildered to think of what, and then Dawn was pushing him away from her during their next turn,

"Oh look, speak of the devil. Hey sis, gimme my husband back, would ya?"

And then his hands were full of his Slayer and the newly-weds were dancing off away from them, sharing twin looks of mischief.

"Hey, Giles," Buffy greeted him with breezy laughter, also apparently caught unawares but much more relaxed about it then he currently was. "Oh, I was hoping to get a dance with you."

"You were?" He blurted, and then remembered that his mouth was still hanging open, and promptly shut it. His feet were moving on autopilot now, his brain working double-time to catalogue everything that had just happened in the last minute. Thankfully, Buffy seemed to follow his lead very easily, and he was oddly filled with that same pleasant feeling he had when they sparred together.

"Last time I saw you in a tux, we never got to dance," Her sigh was morose, but her countenance was still pleasantly happy. "I have to say, I think I like this one even better." Her fingers trailed lightly down the lapel of his jacket, the touch not entirely unlike Dawn's before it, but still he felt himself tremble slightly as his heart skipped in his chest.

He was painfully aware of the warmth of his palm at the curve of her waist, the way his fingers pressed against her back, her distinct femininity in this moment. Her other hand, wrapped around his palm, was easily as strong as his own - and he knew that she was, of course, holding back.

"The Council pays much better than a high school librarian's salary," Giles quipped, the words coming out of his mouth not at all what his mind was focused on. "I was able to see a proper tailor."

"An English one, I'm sure," Buffy teased gently, her hand sliding down to press against the front of his waistcoat.

The muscle in his jaw twitched as he swallowed hard, again. He couldn't tear his gaze away from her, staring even as her own gaze was taking in his suit.

"This is when you make a comment on my dress, Giles," Buffy eventually advised, quirking her eyebrow as she lifted her eyes back up to his face.

"You look stunning." He breathed out earnestly, a part of him distantly amazed with himself that he hadn't stuttered. Buffy's smile widened, brightening her face like the sun rising in the morning, and Giles' heart ached. He couldn't help but smile in return, her expression infectious, and squeezed her a little bit closer to him.

**———**

"Buffy?" Giles poked his head into what had been Dawn's preparation room, earlier in the day.

Buffy turned her back partially toward the door, hiding her face as he heard a sniffle and saw her press her knuckles against her eyes.

"Oh, hey Giles." Her casual tone sounded a little too wet and shaky to be believable, and he quietly stepped into the room and closed the door to give themselves privacy. He tucked his hands into his pockets and leaned back against the closed door, waiting patiently until she felt comfortable enough to face him.

When she did, a half-minute later, she had composed herself rather well. Only because he knew her so well could he see the shine of tears still lingering in her eyes, the painful tug at the skin in the corners.

"What's wrong?" He asked gently.

"They're happy tears, I promise," She laughed lightly, sniffing again as she took a deep breath and settled her shoulders. "Mostly." She looked away for a moment, and then met his eyes carefully as she admitted, "I wish Mom were here."

He gave her a warm, compassionate look.

"That's a sensible wish." He murmured.

"Dawn looks so great, right?" Buffy smiled, proudly. "Happy. I dunno when the last time I saw her this happy."

"Very lovely," Giles agreed with a nod, and Buffy's brow furrowed a little bit, as her happiness and pride in her sister still seemed to war with the other, morose emotions. "Buffy," Giles straightened and took a step into the space between them, removing his hands from his pockets, and that was all she needed before she quickly closed the rest of the distance and wrapped her arms around him.

He hugged her back, tightly, careful not to muss her beautiful up-do as he lightly touched his fingers against her hair, and she pressed her cheek against his shoulder.

"I've missed you." She whispered, and he closed his eyes as he let her words and sincere tone wash over him. "Today is supposed to be all about Dawn but I can't stop thinking about you."

Her phrasing made him a little breathless, and he reminded himself to keep a straight head.

"I've missed you, as well," He replied earnestly. They'd hardly been able to see one another outside of Council business, lately - when one of them wasn't halfway around the world.

"You look so handsome," She sighed as she stepped out of his embrace only to put her hands on his jacket, appreciatively. Her tone made his heart stop entirely, for a moment. He stared at her, not sure how to respond.

She fiddled with his tie rather demurely, tugging it loose without completely undoing it, that coy look from earlier on her face again.

Giles' pulse quickened as a part of him suspected where this was going. <But that part couldn't be right, could it? This is _Buffy_....>

“Unzip me,” She murmured, not quite a question and not quite an order, and his mouth suddenly felt very dry. Running his tongue against his teeth, he swallowed, and then slowly lifted his hands to her arms, sliding his fingers against her warm, soft skin.

With his hands on her shoulders, he guided her to turn around, still hardly breathing. <Is this some kind of waking dream?> There had been little flirting or foreplay before this, but the room felt suddenly heady with warm arousal.

As an experiment, he tilted his head down to press a gentle kiss at the nape of her neck. Her soft gasp was audible, and he smiled a little as he slowly unfastened the little top hook and tugged down the zipper of her dress. <This is really happening. Don't muck it up now.>

When the dress was loose enough he pushed it off of her shoulders, trailing his mouth down the line of her back just as slowly. He felt muzzy in a light, floating sort of way, like he was riding a gentle high. Simultaneously out-of-body and very intently aware of every touch and sound between them.

She hummed approvingly, and he crouched behind her, mouthing the small of her back as his hands blindly guided the dress down her body, the fabric growing heavier as it gathered. A light sheen of sweat had already gathered against her skin, likely from the day's activities followed by the dancing, and for a brief second he was transported back in time, to a hand-built training room in the back of a magic shop. To a time when his brief fantasies had been merely that, and pushed aside.

<No longer,> He felt a bit smug as he bunched the dress in his fingers and urged her to turn again, brushing his lips around the curve of her hip. Her own fingers carded into his hair as she faced him, an approving touch. He let go of the dress, allowing the weight of it to fall to the floor, and stroked his hands along her sides as he began to kiss his way up her front, leisurely taking his time.

"Giles," His name was nothing more than a soft sigh, her nails scratching encouragingly against his scalp, and he rose on his knees to nuzzle the lacy edge of her bra before kissing the swell of her breast. Her hands disappeared from him for a moment, but then her bra was loosened and removed, and he moaned quietly in appreciation as she tossed it to the side and then returned her hands to his head.

"Absolutely stunning," He hummed, appreciating every inch of her.

His body felt alive beneath her touch, being able to touch her so intimately in return, and he shrugged quickly out of his jacket before returning his hands to her thighs, stroking them with his thumbs before sliding his hands around and up to the curve of her butt. He squeezed gently, drawing a gasp from her, and then squeezed a little harder as he settled his mouth over her nipple. He licked and suckled until she was clutching his hair between her fingers almost painfully, and then he twisted his wrist to slide his hand beneath her panties and glide his fingers over her entrance.

They both moaned together as he caressed through her wetness and plunged the tips of two fingers inside of her. He moved shallowly for a moment, but she panted a wanting noise and arched her hips toward his hand, wanting more. He slowly burrowed his fingers deeper until his hand was cupping her mound, and curled them in almost a leisurely manner as he searched for those spots that would make her-

"Oh, _God_ , Giles!" Buffy suddenly cried out and gripped his shoulders with her hands, her thighs trembling. He smiled, removing his hand only to urgently tug down her panties and then grip her hips, pulling her down as well until she was laying on her back on the floor.

"Spread your legs, Buffy," He requested breathlessly, and was entranced to see her moan and close her eyes as she did so. Her hands danced along his arms and shoulders, but soon returned to his head as she couldn't reach much more of him with him kneeling between her legs.

He eased his fingers back inside of her, soaking them in her arousal before stroking against her folds. Her back arched off the ground in pleasure, and he was completely enthralled as he watched her fall deeper and deeper in the build of her orgasm. His trousers were uncomfortably tight by now, but he didn't want to stop to take care of himself, not when he had her naked and writhing and wanting.

"Buffy," He growled, lowering to press an open-mouthed kiss to her hip, "May I,"

"Please, God, use your mouth, yes, _please_ yes," She panted out quickly, and he lifted his head to look at her in pleased surprise at her urgency. Her own head was lifted from the floor, staring down at him imploringly. She made it sound as if she'd been wanting this for a while. "Yes, Giles," She insisted a bit more softly, one of her hands releasing its attempt of a grip on the carpet to stroke against his hair.

He turned his head to brush a kiss against the inside of her wrist, and then, unable to contain his eagerness any longer, buried his face between her legs.

"Oh, Goddd," Buffy's gasp was long and low and coursed through his entire body. He pressed his fingers inside of her to the same tempo his tongue worked against the small bundle of nerves he'd purposely ignored up to this point, and it wasn't long after that he was coaxing her to come, her climax seeming to come in waves as she rocked against his mouth and her hands and her legs clenched around his body.

The way her inner muscles gripped his fingers made him lightheaded, and his length throbbed demandingly within his trousers, damp with pre-come. Fumbling a bit, he pushed himself up onto his elbow, trying to keep his fingers inside of her as he reached down with his other hand to unzip his trousers. He shifted his knees further beneath himself to make more room, and couldn't help but sigh with relief when his erection was finally free. In three strokes he was done, pulsing within his fist and wetting her thigh with his come, grunting at the power of it and eventually letting his eyes drift closed in his own pleasure.

"Holy hell," He realized Buffy was panting as the world slowly came back into focus around him, "holy hell, _God Giles_ , holy _hell_ ,"

He gingerly slipped his fingers from between her legs, careful of her tenderness before allowing himself to collapse onto the floor next to her, his cock still in his hand as he lay on his back and tried to catch his breath. When he turned his head to look at her, she was staring at him with wide eyes and a gaping mouth. He glanced back down his body as he let his hands relax to the floor, and blushed a little apologetically at their wildly uneven state of attire.

Now that he wasn't completely absorbed in her pleasure - and his own - he felt rather ridiculous about having only removed his jacket and loosened his tie, and his prick sticking out of his pants.

"That is the _hottest_ thing I've ever seen _in my life_ ," Buffy gaped wondrously, and Giles yanked his gaze back toward her incredulously, and a bit suspiciously. Her eyes were still on his body, however, and her expression obviously honest.

He flushed even more deeply, for different reasons this time.

Suddenly she reached over and brushed her hand up along the length of his cock, her touch curious and heavy but not too rough.

"Buffy!" He gasped in surprise and flinched, his nerves still on edge, but could only watch as she tenderly wrapped her fingers around him and held the weight of him.

There was something amazing, breathtaking, about that hand of hers curled around his manhood. He'd seen her wield weapons with that hand, knock out vampires twice her size. A tremble of terror went through him for a second, too - she could seriously hurt him in seconds with just a squeeze of her fist - but that thought excited him more than anything else. His cock rocked within her grasp and she darted her eyes up toward him, her brow furrowing in question.

"I could probably come again." Giles admitted a bit embarrassedly. The creases in Buffy's forehead relaxed, but she didn't otherwise move. "Not- not usually, but," He gave her a sheepish smile. "This is... You're quite..." <Beautiful, enchanting, lovely, amazing,>

"Giles?" Her hand tightened around him just a bit before she let him go, but he didn't have enough time to be disappointed before her fingers were moving rather deftly over the buttons of his waistcoat. "Clothes, off, now," She ordered, and he didn't have to be told twice, toeing off his shoes and kicking them out of the way before reaching under where she was stretched over him to shove his pants down off his hips.

**———**

"I thought we were gonna slip outta this shindig early," Xander teased lowly into Dawn's ear, his fingers dancing along the back of her dress. "Or, at least, change into something more comfortable."

Dawn turned her head to face him so their conversation remained private,

"You can't change if I can't, and _I can't_ ," She gave a tiny twitch of her head toward the hall that led to the room where she'd gotten ready earlier this morning - and where her change of clothes currently awaited her.

"I can't believe they took your dressing room, out of all the closets in this place," Xander complained, and Dawn giggled.

"Giles is a bit more of a gentleman than _that_."

"A gentleman?" Xander repeated dubiously. "They've been in there for over _an hour_. If I didn't know better I'd think they were gearing up for their own honeymoon."

"Oh, stop grumbling. You're happy they're finally together and you know it." Dawn rested her palm against his cheek and gave him a loving peck on the mouth.

"When I agreed to this whole getting them together plan at our wedding, I didn't think we were talking _literal togetherness_." He pointed out, and she pursed her lips, admittedly agreeing with him a little in that regard.

"I didn't quite think it'd happen this fast. I just hoped for some admitting of feelings, you know?"

"Oh, they're admitting feelings. There's _lots_ of feelings happening in that room, right now." Xander replied wryly, and Dawn snorted and shoved her palm against his chest.

"She _is_ my sister, Xander. I don't need details."

" _You_ weren't the one that was forced to listen in at the door 'until the plan was secure'," He quoted her words loftily, "I'm never gonna hear her say his name the same again."

She playfully pushed him again and said,

"Shh! Don't let anyone else hear. We're supposed to not know anything, remember?"

"Hey," Willow breezed up next to them with a half-concerned, half-amazed expression on her face. "There you are. Did you know you've got some guests who've locked themselves in your dressing room? I thought it was _you two_ in there, but," She laughed suddenly, "It was _Buffy's_ name I heard being groaned, and you _won't believe_ who it sounded like doing the groaning,"

"Oh, Lord have mercy on my soul and my mind," Xander complained, covering his eyes with his hand. Dawn guffawed, beaming at Willow.

"You know?" Willow realized, her expression brightening as her assumption was confirmed, and Dawn nodded.

"We might have planned it," Dawn admitted secretively, nudging her husband with her elbow. Willow squealed excitedly, barely managing to keep her voice down, though a few attendees nearby glanced over toward the trio curiously. Willow and Dawn shared a high-five, and then gripped one another's hand happily.

**———**

"Your sister has grown into an admirable young woman," Wesley commented, standing next to Buffy as they sipped wine and watched the newlyweds chat with a few of the other guests. "And it's quite exciting that she wants to be a Watcher. You should be proud of her."

"Oh, I am." Buffy replied, her warm smile drifting from her sister toward her other old Watcher. "She's had a good role model."

"Mm, one of the best." Wesley agreed easily, following Buffy's gaze.

Giles was chatting rather amicably with Hank, something one of the men said causing them both to laugh quietly together. Buffy's eyebrow quirked in surprise, and Wesley noticed.

"May I be frank?" He lowered his voice slightly, not wanting to make Buffy uncomfortable by the possibility of someone else overhearing what he was about to say.

"Sure," She returned her gaze to him, surprised, though there was a glitter in her eye as she added, "but you don't look much like a Frank to me. I'd just stick with Wesley."

He rolled his eyes, more in fondness than anything else, and said,

"You have always been more than just his Slayer." He gestured his head in Giles' direction, though continued looking Buffy squarely in the eyes. "His love for you is extraordinary. Far be it from me to tell you what to do,"

Buffy snorted at that, though her expression had changed to something he wasn't quite sure how to define.

"But I believe you should take the opportunity that this proximity has provided and, well," He gestured his hand toward Giles, this time. "Take advantage."

Buffy's eyebrows shot upward.

"You want me to take advantage of Giles?" She whispered in a feigned, shocked gasp, and Wesley immediately blushed, but couldn't help but note wryly under his breath,

"Oh, I'm sure he'd be rather amendable to it."

To his surprise, Buffy grinned, and took a very casual drink of her champagne.

"I'm sure you're right, Wesley." She spoke as if she were appeasing him, and set her empty glass on the table behind them as Wesley nodded.

"Indeed, I- what?" His pride at her rare words stumbled into confusion, sure that he'd misunderstood her. She gave him a wide, bright smile, and then turned and strolled toward Hank and Giles, greeting them both with a hand on each arm. Both men smiled down at her, but as Wesley watched closely, realization dawned on him.

Hank's smile was happy, relieved; that made sense, as his relationship with his daughters had only recently been repaired. Giles' smile, on the other hand, was warm and intent and hid a certain sense of _awareness_ behind it. Like they had a secret. And Wesley knew that Hank was aware now of Buffy being the Slayer, so it wasn't _that_ secret.

Suddenly Hank pulled Buffy into a hug, and while she was surprised for a moment, she returned it. Then Hank pulled away, rubbed his hand up and down Buffy's upper arm, and then shook Giles' hand before leaving the two of them alone. Wesley narrowed his eyes as he focused more intently on the pair, trying to read their lips as he was standing a bit too far away to hear what was being said.

 _'What was that about?'_ Buffy faced Giles curiously.

 _'Nothing to worry about,'_ Giles assured her, and Wesley couldn't be certain but he suspected an endearment of _'Love'_ to be at the end of that sentence.

Giles reached up to tuck a strand of loose hair behind Buffy's ear, and she subtly stepped in a bit closer toward him.

Wesley's eyes widened, and he blinked.

Hank, heading toward Dawn and Xander, paused when his meander through the room brought him beside Wesley.

"Do we have another wedding to look forward to?" Wesley couldn't help but ask him, and Hank smiled a secretive smile that reminded him of Buffy.

"Oh, not anytime soon. But maybe someday." He seemed comforted, as he observed his oldest daughter for a moment, before focusing toward the youngest. He took a step to continue on, but Wesley was still curious,

"Did he ask your blessing?"

Hank just smiled that same mysterious smile, and headed off to the bride of the day. Wesley shifted his eyes back toward Buffy and Giles, but startled to find them gone.

Turning to gaze about the room, he didn't see them anywhere, and wondered where they could have disappeared so quickly, but his eyes did land on a widely smirking Willow. When their eyes met, she jerked her thumb toward the back of the room and mouthed _'Coat room'_ , rolling her eyes comically, and Wesley couldn't keep from grinning back in amusement.

Peripherally, he kept his eye on said coat room door as he chatted with some of the other guests, and sure enough, about eight minutes later Buffy and Giles were smoothly immersing themselves back amongst the crowd. No one else seemed to notice, and Wesley used every ounce of strength he had to keep his expression in a calm mask as he sidled up to Giles.

He handed him a fresh glass of champagne, which Giles thanked him for, and then waited for the man to take a sip.

"That's a lovely color on you. What is it called? 'Slayer Rosé'?"

Giles choked and Wesley calmly drank from his own glass, his expression unchanging as Giles quickly tugged his handkerchief from his pocket and dabbed it against his mouth, rubbing away the lipstick as well as droplets of champagne from his lips.

After a long minute of awkwardly avoiding Wesley’s gaze, taking an overly-long time to refold his handkerchief and return it to his pocket, Giles eventually glanced at him.

“So.” Wesley mused, gripping his fist on the opposite side where Giles couldn’t see him, digging his nails into his palm to keep himself from bursting out in laughter. “Had at it, did you?”

For a second Giles looked affronted, but then his eyes darted in Buffy’s direction, and a lopsided grin adorned his face. Then just as quickly, the mask of indifference was back and he cleared his throat and tugged the end of his waistcoat that didn’t need straightening. Wesley couldn’t keep himself from smiling any longer, and allowed Giles to see it when he glanced back at him.

“Good for you both.” Wesley congratulated him warmly. Giles looked pleased briefly, but then scowled and said into his glass,

“I’ll be glad when you go back to LA.”

“You’ll miss me.” Wesley declared happily, taking another drink as well, and Giles’ lack of argument was telling.

**———**

"You returned late last night." His mother commented with a vague tone of amusement as she flipped the paper in her hands to a different page. "The wedding went smoothly?"

"Quite." Giles nodded, mostly focused on the report from Cleveland that had been couriered to the house while he'd been out attending said wedding. "I hope we didn't wake you."

"We?" She repeated, and he paused reading but didn't lift his head. <Well, shit.> “Really, Rupert - picking up a woman from a wedding?” His Mum lightly chided him, sounding more tired and still amused than anything else. “You’re not in your twenties any longer.”

Giles said nothing as he took a steady drink of tea, buying himself a moment to figure out how to tell his mum that this wasn’t just any woman. <She is _the_ woman.>

And then Buffy appeared, ripping that band-aid off for him.

“Oh,” Her warm smile at Giles wavered just slightly as she realized he wasn’t alone in the kitchen. “Hi... you must be Mrs. Giles.” She sounded almost shy, to his surprise, but he found it endearing.

Of course, it didn’t help that she was wearing his button-up from yesterday.

“ _Rupert,_ ” His mum was definitely more chiding, now. “Your _Slayer_?”

Buffy sidled up to him, hesitant to touch him though she did stand close. Giles decided to roll with the punches, and wrapped his arm around her shoulders to hug her against his side. He knew that his affection and his pride in her were blatant for the world to see, but he couldn’t help himself.

“Yes,” He hummed, looking down at Buffy, “my Slayer.”

Buffy glanced up to meet his eyes, and her shyness slipped away into a soft smile, and Giles rubbed his thumb against her shoulder before looking toward his mother again.

She was watching them closely, delight in her eyes though she was careful to otherwise hide her thoughts. Giles waited patiently, until she eventually sighed and smiled at Buffy.

“It’s lovely to finally meet you,” His mum said warmly to Buffy. “The girl who’s held Rupert’s heart for so long.”

Buffy glanced toward Giles again, startled and curious, and Giles gave his mother an accusing look.

“However!” She suddenly stood, aware that she revealed more than Giles had wanted her to, “I have some consulting I need to tend to. Perhaps we can have dinner together?”

“I would love that,” Buffy replied earnestly, nodding, and Giles suddenly began to feel a bit worried.

“Wonderful.” As she passed them to leave the kitchen, she touched a hand to Buffy’s arm and lightly kissed Giles’ cheek. “I’ll call when I have a better idea of our timetable.”

“Alright,” Giles murmured, a bit embarrassed by the motherly affection.

As soon as they were alone, though, Buffy grinned widely and shifted to face him fully, leaning her front against his.

“Your mom seems awesome. Why haven’t I met her before?”

“You’ve barely met her now!” Giles protested. He was beginning to have visions of the two women he loved most in this world getting along like gangbusters... and ganging up on him.

“Yeah,” Buffy suddenly grimaced, “would have liked to at least had pants on, had I known.”

“P-pants?” Giles stammered as he carefully set his tea cup on the counter beside him, then rested his hands on her waist. <She means her trousers, surely; the American term, not...>

“ _Pants,_ ” Buffy emphasized, shifting up on her toes to press rather pointedly against him.

“Buffy,” Giles quietly groaned, his cock immediately stirring with interest at the heat between her legs. “We should...”

“Is it okay that I met your mom?” Buffy asked suddenly, relaxing back on her heels though she didn’t pull completely out of his partial embrace. “That we’re going to have dinner? Because if not, I can bug out. There are a thousand Slayer excuses at the ready, I mean, I can make a graceful exit,”

“Buffy,” Giles gently ended her growing babble, reaching a hand up to brush her hair back from her cheek. “Of course it’s okay that you’ve met my mum. And I... I would love for us all to have dinner together. But...” He trailed off, uncertain.

Now that the heightened emotions of the wedding had worn off, not to mention all that liquid courage à la champagne, reality of life was kicking down the door.

“It’s a serious step.” Buffy guessed with a murmur, and Giles nodded silently, watching her face closely to figure her reaction. Her expression didn’t change; in fact, her smile widened slightly. “That’s good though, right?” Her question made him straighten slightly, hope pushing away his worries. “I mean, I wouldn’t have hooked up with you at my sister’s wedding if I didn’t love you, Giles. You’re _Giles_ , you’re like... endgame.”

“I...” His mind felt scrambled for a moment, stuck on how casually she could say that she loved him, and on her terminology... <Endgame?>

“Not to say that was just a hookup, ‘cause it wasn’t... not for me, anyway.”

“ _Buffy,_ ” Giles was too overwhelmed to speak, so he dipped his head and kissed her instead. He kissed her with everything he had, hoping to convey himself in actions.

Apparently it worked, because the next thing he knew she was closing the long-forgotten folder from Cleveland, practically climbing him to wrap her arms and legs around him, and then he was carrying her blindly back up the stairs to his bedroom, kissing her the whole way.

**Author's Note:**

> Soundtrack: _Love Is Strange_ \- Mickey & Sylvia (that's right. Dirty Dancing vibes. Haha),  
>  _The Way You Look Tonight_ \- Anthony Head


End file.
